American Journalism Review
Fox News Channel’s No. 1 anchor–the one with the boyish good looks and Southern charm–joined two colleagues as a guest on “The Strategy Room,” a discussion show streamed live on foxnews.com. The hot topic that day was the CIA’s rough treatment of prisoners.
The back-and-forth began cordially enough. But then the conversation shifted to the notion that torture might actually work. Suddenly, the distinctive baritone voice that brings “Fox Report,” the network’s signature nightly newscast, to nearly 2 million viewers, delivered a stunner. “We are America. I don’t give a rat’s ass if it helps. We are America. We do not f—ing torture! We don’t do it!” shouted Shepard Smith, slamming his hand on the desk three times for emphasis.
The panel’s other members, Fox anchor Trace Gallagher and the network’s senior judicial analyst, Andrew Napolitano, continued the dialogue seemingly unfazed by the outburst. Smith repeated, “It’s wrong; that’s it!” He shoved his chair back from the desk, distancing himself from the conversation. More…